A Fresh Start
by Kristina Maria
Summary: For many, College is one of the most crucial parts of their lives, full of new friends, new lessons and new experiences. For our young Myka, this is certainly true, it is a chance to escape from her past and an opportunity to build a new and exiting future for herself. College AU. Eventual Bering and Wells, with a bit of artifact induced drama along the way.
1. Chapter 1

**AN: So, I really love College AU's and I think there really aren't enough of them being written, so, I thought I'd write my own. Just so you're all aware, I am completely oblivious when it comes to American Universities, I am British so there are a few things in this story that are quite British, like the airing cupboard, I'm not sure if that's what they're called in the US. Please feel free to let me know what you think or, well, anything really. This will eventually be Bering/Wells.**

**I unfortunately do not own the wonderful Warehouse 13, it would be lasting a lot longer than 5 seasons if I did. **

Stretching her arms out wide, Myka released a small noise, not too dissimilar to a cats meow, but still somewhat human, it was the first morning in a long time that the young woman had felt truly happy. Almost vaulting herself into a sitting position, Myka's eyes flew open and fell onto her clock, 7am exactly, who needs an alarm when you have a body clock? Jumping from her bed, she quickly began her morning routine, making her bed, taking a shower and getting ready for the busy day ahead of her, taking the extra time to straighten her hair to the point where the locks only curled softly at the ends, a far cry from her traditional wild curls. Pulling on a set of skinny jeans, she also wore a loose white shirt and a black blazer, Tracy had made her buy a whole new wardrobe before she left for college, and though the clothing didn't exactly scream 'Myka', they certainly did make her look a little more fashionable.

Almost slamming her door shut, the young brunette beamed at her mother when she finally reached the kitchen, "Morning mom", she smiled, taking a seat at the breakfast table, it was tradition to eat breakfast as a family and as her father had stated so adamantly, this morning was no different to any other. "Morning sweetheart," Jeannie replied, her eyes remaining on the food she was preparing, "because it's someone's last day with us, I am treating us all to pancakes, can you please prepare the table?" Doing as her mother asked, Myka quietly set the table, she wasn't about to admit it, but she was going to miss her mom. It was at that moment a strangled cry came from down the hallway, Myka didn't flinch, she just continued on with what she was doing, she was used to hearing that noise, it came from her sister's mouth almost every day. Tracy soon appeared in the kitchen, her expression angry as she stomped her way through the apartment. "Where. Is. My. Skirt?" she asked her eyes focused on Myka, the younger sister knew full well that Myka didn't wear skirts but it was the only feasible explanation she could come up with."Which skirt would that be?" their mother asked, her voice calm and composed, she was far too used to her youngest's tantrums. "The burgundy velvet one, I left it on my chair yesterday and now it's gone, where is it Myka?" Rolling her eyes at the girl, Myka finished the table and sat down in her usual seat, "don't look at me, do I look like I wear a skirt that is that short." You could almost see the smoke escape from Tracy's ears as she began to seethe, "MYKA!" she yelled, clenching her fist and stomping her foot. "Tracy, love," their mum interrupted, transferring the waffles she had made onto a large plate, "I washed your skirt, it's currently in the airing cupboard, drying, okay?" Eyes flicking between her mother and her sister, Tracy visually calmed, her fists unclenching and her previously reddened cheeks returning to their normal colour, "oh" she responded, taking a seat at the table across from Myka, "good." Placing the large plate on the table, Jeannie physically jumped when the front door slammed shut, "Is breakfast ready?" a distinguishably male voice asked, the words sounding frustrated as their speaker made his way into the kitchen. "Yes, dear, I've just put the plate down," the older lady responded, taking a seat opposite an empty chair, "I thought I'd make waffles seeming that Myka is leaving today." Sitting down with little elegance the man picked up his cutlery and pulled the first waffle onto his plate, "today is no different to any other day," he stated, pouring a little syrup onto the food before he started to eat in silence. For as long as Myka could remember, meal times had almost always been quiet, for most families, it was a time to chat and catch up, but in her house, talking usually led to arguments and nobody wanted to fight while they ate. Finishing first the young woman waited for the rest of her family to clean their plates before collecting them and taking them to the sink, "I was hoping to get on the road for 9, if that's okay with you, dad? My flight is at 1 but I wanted to get to the airport early" she requested, washing the plates to avoid having to look the man in the eye. "The sooner we leave, the sooner we can get back to work, be ready as soon as you can," Warren stood and left the room, returning to the book shop down stairs. "He'll miss you," Jeannie announced, flashing Myka an empathetic smile, "he just doesn't know how to show it."

Returning to her room, Myka finished packing the last of her things into the case and chest she planned to take with her, she didn't have much, so all her clothes and books managed to fit nicely in to the two storage spaces, she was going to take the case with her and the chest was going to be collected by a courier later that morning, she'd hopefully have that with her within a day or two. Tugging the case into the hallway, she found her mom looking back at her with a sad expression on her face, tears threatening to spill down her cheeks. Myka dropped her case and wrapped her arms around the woman who raised her, "I'll be back soon mom, I promise." She hated seeing her mom cry, it happened very rarely and only when her father wasn't around, so Myka was usually the one to see it, "I will call all the time too, you don't have to worry." Jeannie pulled back and wiped away the tears that had strayed from her eyes, her body quickly turning towards the front door, "Are you ready? Your father's already in the car." Giving her mum an understanding nod, she followed the older woman down the stairs, doing her best to lift the case rather than allowing it to bang on every step, she knew how much her father hated it when Tracy did that.

The car trip to the airport was just as silent as breakfast, everyone aware that things would be different now, Jeannie wouldn't have a daughter to talk to, Tracy would have to moan to herself and Warren would have to hire someone to work at the store, everyone knew how things would change, though some were far more sad about it than others. Giving her mother and her sister a hug before she left the car, Myka made her way over to her dad, hoping he would say something comforting, declare that he loved her, but all she got was a simple nod before he got back in the car. Trying her best not to let tears stream from her eyes, she waved her family goodbye and began to make her way through the crowds that always seemed to be present at the airport. Taking a deep breath, she checked in and made her way through to departures, managing to avoid any pat downs or telling off's as she passed through. Once on board, Myka closed her eyes and thought about what she was leaving behind and what she was about to gain, she was finally free, from her town, from her past, from her father, it certainly couldn't come soon enough.

Before the girl knew it, she was standing outside of her new dorms, the shuttle bus from the airport to the college was rather hectic, the girl quickly becoming surrounded by teenagers full of spirit and excitement as they finally became independent. Myka, being Myka just sat right at the front, book in hand, trying to tune out the sound of the over exited students. Looking down at the piece of card in her hand, she read the words on it again, "You have been assigned room B in flat 13", the girl had opted for the new accommodation on campus, the cluster flats, a design taken from many British Universities, she liked the idea of having her own room rather than having to share with a roommate. Swallowing loudly, she pulled her case up a single flight of stairs, searching for her allocated flat, finally calming a little once she found the door. Placing her key into the lock, Myka froze, a sudden panic taking over once she realised that she was about to meet the people she was going to live with for the next year. What if they didn't like her? What if they thought she was weird like everyone at home did? Or even worse, what if they were messy? Closing her eyes, she took a deep breath and pushed the door open and stepped inside. She almost squealed as she ducked to avoid the ball that flew towards her face, her eyes wide when she finally stood back up again. "Damn, sorry,"a voice yelled, a firm hand placing itself on her arm to comfort her, "I'm so so sorry." Lifting her eyes to look up at her assailant, she was calmed by the warmth of those chocolaty brown eyes, "it's fine," she chuckled, smiling up at the man in front of her "I've had worse thrown at me, trust me." She could see the man take a deep breath as he began to smile again, "good... I mean...good that you're okay, not that you've had worse thrown at you, that sucks." Chuckling at the boy, she offered him her hand, "I'm Myka, Myka Bering." Looking at her hand before he took it, the boy smiled warmly at her, "I'm Pete Lattimer, it's nice to finally meet one of my flat mates."


	2. Chapter 2

It wasn't long before Myka and Pete's other room-mates trickled into the apartment, each making their own dramatic entrance, the two early arriving flatmates watching on from the living room sofa's, entertained by the others entrances. The slightly younger Claudia Donovan was next to arrive after Myka, the smaller girl almost smashed down the door frame as she entered, her equipment almost widening the entryway by a few feet as the girl yelled what Myka assumed was a nicer way of saying 'fuck'. The girl had dropped all her things on the floor once she had entered the room, her eyes widening at the sight of the new people "Sup guys? I'm Claudia" she squealed, unsure of how best to deal with the people she was going to live with for the next year, she had never been much of a people person, but she wanted her flatmates to like her.

Chuckling at the girls reaction, Myka stood and walked over to the young lady, "do you need some help with your bags?" she offered, her fingers playing with each other as she waited for a response.

"God, yes!" Claudia sighed, half due to the fact she wasn't going to have to lug all her stuff to her room alone, and the other half glad that she hadn't scared the others off yet.

Picking up half of the young girls things, Myka turned to look at Pete, "are you going to help or are you just going to sit there and eat?" Myka could barely make out a word as the boy tried to mumble a response while his mouth was full of crumbling cookies, but she assumed by his pointing at his face, the answer was no. Rolling her eyes, she turned back to the young redhead who seemed to be watching Pete with a rather bemused and entertained expression, "he's like a wild animal, isn't he?" she asked, her eyes returning to the brunette.

"It seems that way," she chuckled out loud, shaking her head before she started to walk, "which room?"

Scanning the area, the young redhead spotted the room with her letter on it, "C" she informed, pointing with her full hand towards her room, "the closest to the kitchen, sweet," Claudia almost froze as she realised how dorky that sounded, "I mean...umm."

Chuckling, Myka made her way to the other girls room and pushed the door open, "C for Claudia, that's a happy coincidence."

Sighing with relief, the young girl followed the other woman and dropped her case on the floor, she was happy that she wasn't the only one who noticed silly little things, she liked this girl, even if she didn't know her name, "Oh, I'm Claudia, by the way, probably should have started with that one, or have I already told you that? I'm sorry, I'm a bit off today, I normally remember everything."

"C for Claudia," the brunette reminded, "I'm Myka." Placing the smaller of Claudia's cases on the desk in the room, Myka scanned the area to see how similar it was to her own, "do you need help unpacking?"

Shaking her head as she began to unzip her case, the techie shot the other girl a smile, "I'm fine, thanks, I'm used to having to pack and unpack."

Myka was about to ask Claudia about her response, when the booming creature that was Pete finally followed them into the room, "Sorry, once I have food in my hand, there's no stopping me."

Both women couldn't help but role their eyes at the comment, "It's fine, I don't want your crumbs all over my carpet anyway," Claudia teased, quickly pulling her clothes out of her bag.

Pete faked offence, his features crinkling as he tried to pretend like he was hurt, giving up when neither woman responded. It was at that point the three newly acquainted flat mates were forced silent as the booming of voices echoed through from the living room, "Mom, Dad please just go, I'll be fine," one person spoke, the frustration obvious in his tone, "look, I love you both, and I know you don't want to see me leave, but you are going to embarrass me if you stay."

The three could hear the mother sigh dramatically, "fine, we'll go sweetie, I love you, oh, and don't forget to wash you underpants, you don't want to scare away the girls."

"I love you too," the boy sighed, realising how childish and harsh he may have sounded just a moment before, "I'll see you at thanksgiving." The mother placed a kiss on her sons cheek before turning to leave, the boys father giving him a firm hand shake before following his wife. The young man hadn't even noticed the three flatmates creep to the door to watch him, his eyes widened as he turned to see them staring back at him, each with a matching look of guilt on their features.

"I'm Steve Jinks" he announced, offering a single wave as a greeting, "I'm guessing you're my new flatmates?"

Each of the three started to ramble out hello's and apologies, soon falling silent when they realised Steve wouldn't be able to understand them if they all spoke at the same time. Myka stepped forward and smiled at the boy, "I'm Myka, this is Claudia and Pete," she informed, taking the time to gesture to each person as she said their name, "sorry about before, we didn't mean to eavesdrop, we didn't hear much anyway." Steve raised an eyebrow as he read the woman, his keen lie detecting skills soon picked up that the girl was lying, they had probably heard the whole embarrassing conversation, "Well that's not true, but if we could pretend that it never happened, that would be great."

Nodding at the boy, Myka tried to divert her eyes, the situation was already a little awkward. Thankfully, Pete stepped forward and shook the boys hand, "which room are you in?" he asked casually, winking at Myka to tell her to stop fretting.

"Room D," Steve replied, scanning the lounge for his door.

"Squeal," Claudia shrieked, grabbing Steve's arm and pulling him towards his room, "I'm in C, it looks like we're neighbours, Jinksy."

Steve flashed Myka and Pete a worried look as each of them let out a small laugh, the redhead certainly was...energetic.

The group spent the rest of the day getting to know each other, orientation wasn't until the next day so they didn't have to be anywhere else. They all seemed to get on rather well, Steve soon warmed up to Claudia, in fact, she soon became his favourite out of the group and Pete and Myka got on well, even though they were both complete opposites. By about 1am everyone and retired to their respective rooms, Claudia being the first to pass out, followed my Steve and then finally the other two.

Myka woke at around 4am, groggy but thirsty. Without even opening her eyes she made her way out of her room towards the kitchen, she had placed a few bottles of water in the fridge when she arrived so they could cool, she hated room temperature water. Pulling the bottle from the fridge, she blocked her eyes as the light from inside the cooler tried to penetrate her barely open eyes, wincing a little before closing the fridge. She took a sip of the water before making her way back to her room. Once she re-entered the living room, she froze, now she was a little more awake, she noticed that something wasn't right, the room felt off in some way, she had never been one for 'vibes' but if she were, she would definitely be getting one at that moment. A small light next to one of couches suddenly flickered on to reveal someone sitting quietly in the room, "hello, and who might you be?"


	3. Chapter 3

**A/N: Hello all, I apologise for the delay, I lost internet connection for a long time, but that means I have a back log of chapters ready to post! Anyway, I hope you enjoy this, let me know what you think! **

Calming a little, soothed slightly by the way the unexpected guest spoke her words, Myka turned to face her completely, "I think I should be the one asking the questions here, you are the one sat in my living room at this time of the night."

The corners of the other woman's lips turned up slightly, amused greatly by the younger woman's commanding words, "If the details I were given are correct, then this is also my living room, darling, therefore I'm sure I have the right to be here at any time I like." A sharp smirk possessed the Brits lips, fully aware that her words just triggered a wave of thought in her new flatmates mind.

Crossing her arms, Myka trailed her eyes across the other woman, attempting to get a read on the rather cocky woman, "If that's the case then I have to ask, why are you sitting alone in the dark?"

Standing from the sofa, the raven haired woman, straightened up and began to walk towards the other girl, "there are many reasons, none of which make me look better than a psychopath so it's probably best that I keep that to myself, at least until I actually learn your name anyway." The darker haired woman's eyes almost sparkled as she spoke, Myka almost swore that she saw the other woman's eyes flash black as she spoke the word 'psychopath' before returning to their normal colour to continue her speech.

"It's Myka," she admitted, a small but shy smile appearing on her lips as the other woman grew closer.

Helena grinned brightly as she spoke the woman's name in her head, "Myka" she copied, testing the name on her own lips, allowing her voice to modify the name slightly as her accent grasped at the word, the sharper way of speaking making Myka wonder if it was even her name that was being spoken, "such a beautiful name, it's a pleasure to meet you, I am Helena."

Frowning slightly as the woman introduced herself far more eloquently than Myka herself could ever do, she uncrossed her arms and relaxed a little, "I wondered if we were going to get a fifth or if the room was just going to be left empty, If I'm honest I was hoping for the latter."

Quirking an eyebrow, Helena stifled a laugh as she processed the other woman's honesty. "I do apologise for ruining that for you," she teased, hoping a good natured jest would force the younger woman out of her shell a little, "I can live in the hallway if it would make you feel more comfortable, though the ground would reek havoc on my spine."

Narrowing her eyes, Myka made sure that her posture showed how unamused she was, "are you always this sarcastic or does it get worse at night?"

Chuckling out loud, the raven haired woman shook her head slowly, "I could ask you the same question my dear, though I must argue, that where I'm from, it is already day time, so I am unsure how sarcastic I become at night."

Rolling her eyes, Myka turned to return to her room, it had been a long and emotional day, she didn't need to spend time she could use for sleeping on talking to some overly awake Brit, "good luck to whoever has to find that out, I, hopefully will be asleep when they do."

Blinking a few times, Helena couldn't help but smile as the obviously tired young woman made a joke, "good night, Myka."

Continuing on her way to her room, the brunette couldn't resist smiling a little as her name passed across the other woman's lips again, "night, try not to scare any of our other flatmates, I'm actually the sane one."

Chuckling one last time, Helena gazed at the retreating form, "I will try my best."

Returning to her bed, Myka curled up and wrapped her duvet around her tightly, her eyes clamping shut as soon as her head hit the pillow, and yet she could not find sleep, the girl who was only a wall away had woken her from her dream filled haze and now all she could think about was the way the other girls accent accentuated her words. Sighing loudly, the young bookworm attempted to distract herself with thoughts of other things, orientation, books, but nothing seemed to be helping sleep return to her. She knew full well that if she didn't get some sleep now, then the next day was going to be hell. Trying to calm her mind, Myka imagined herself as a character in one of her favourite novels, twisting and turning her way through the story until her brain finally calmed enough to fall asleep.

Burying her head into her pillow, Myka allowed a muffled whine to escape her lip as her alarm rang out far louder than she wanted it to, it was 7.30am and she really hasn't had enough sleep thanks to that little stint with her new flatmate. Removing herself from her sheets, she made her way to the small sink in her room and took a quick look in the mirror, her face resembling something similar to death, if death had a face anyway. Sighing in defeat, the young student ran a brush through her recently straightened hair and applied a small amount of make up to her face, it was certainly a necessary accessory at that point. Remaining in her pyjama's, Myka decided it was probably best to eat before she got dressed, just in case she accidentally spilled something, or just in case Pete did. Making her way into the communal kitchen, Myka froze for a moment when she saw the only other person in the room.

"Good morning, darling," the foreign woman smiled, "It seems that you are the first person to get up, apart from me of course, but I never really went down, if I'm honest."

Furrowing her brow, the brunette continued on into the kitchen, "I get the feeling it's going to be a while before the others even consider leaving their beds."

Considering what she was going to have for breakfast, Myka moved to the fridge and pulled out a carton of juice she had put in there the day before, "why exactly are you awake? I assumed you would probably be the last one up?"

Wrapping her fingers around the cup of hot fluid she had just made, Helena took a seat at the table that was placed in the centre of the kitchen, "I may have had next to no sleep last night, but I wasn't going to let that stop me from getting to orientation, I refuse to be late so I've simply remained awake, I will catch up on sleep tonight."

Gesturing to the cup in the Brit's hand, Myka smiled a little, "I presume that's coffee?"

Nodding slowly, the woman took a sip, almost cringing at the bitter taste, "unfortunately, yes, I truly hate it but if it manages to keep me alert, I will learn to appreciate it."

Reaching to the top shelf of her cupboard, even Myka had to push up onto her toes and stretch to retrieve the box of bran she had accidentally pushed to the back the day before.

Recovering from the after taste of the coffee, Helena's eyes almost visibly widened as the large shirt that Myka wore rose when the girl began to stretch, if anything was going to wake the Brit up, that was certainly it. Helena could have sworn that she got a glimpse of the other girls underwear before she dropped back to her regular standing position. Swallowing, almost dramatically, Helena decided to take another sip of her coffee in the hope of hiding what thoughts were going through her mind, she must have been tired, she was usually so good at keeping those types of thoughts hidden.

Unbeknownst to what had just happened in Helena's mind, Myka continued on with the conversation, tugging at the shirt to make sure it was sitting further down her leg than most teenagers would prefer, "I do like coffee, but not all the time." Pulling a bowl and spoon from the cupboard, she poured herself some cereal before replacing the box on a lower shelf. The young woman smiled sweetly at her new flatmate as she sat down across from her at the table, "I might as well get the question we are bound to be asked a hundred times over the next few weeks out of the way, what's your major?"

Chuckling lightly, Helena took another sip of coffee before answering the question, "I'm actually a double major, Engineering and English literature, and you?"

Nodding, rather impressed, Myka spooned a small amount of cereal into her mouth, taking the time to swallow slowly before she responded, "Wow, that's quite a combination. I'm a double major too, English lit and Criminology."

Smirking slightly, Helena leaned back in her chair and responded to Myka's comment, "what can I say? I like both." It finally seemed that the coffee was having it's desired affect, Helena's teasing nature slowly returning to it's normal strength, "I'm surprised, I would have predicted pre-med or something along those lines."

Taking another mouthful, Myka recalled having a conversation somewhat similar to this with her dad, the man did not understand why she had changed her mind so quickly, he had yelled at her, calling her a stupid selfish child, she had cried for almost an hour once he had stormed off. The pain of the memory showed in Myka's eyes for a moment before she could shake it off, "I was initially planning on being pre-med, then it was pre-law, but neither of them really felt right, you know?"

"I understand," Helena nodded, offering Myka a knowing smile, she didn't want to push any boundaries just yet, she had only just met the girl, but she knew that look, it was one she often wore just a few years earlier.

Allowing her eyes to drop to her cereal, the young girl was grateful for the distraction that came in the form of their other flatmates, Steve being the first to come in, followed by Claudia and eventually Pete. Everyone seemed pleased to meet their new friend, Pete even making the effort to flirt with the English woman, who seemed to pretend like she didn't even notice.

The day was rather production for all the inhabitant of Apartment 13, Claudia joined the Technology club, Pete the Football and Wrestling teams, Steve considered the LGBT club but settled for Tennis, while Myka joined the Book club, the Languages society, and the Fencing team. The only one that did not seem to join anything was Helena, she had spoken to a few people at various stalls but she hadn't put her name down for anything. "Aren't you going to join any?" Myka had asked her, she herself had only joined because she knew it would look good on her resume, otherwise she would have much preferred doing her hobbies alone.

Shrugging once, Helena simply carried on walking, "I've never been one for group activities, other people are a liability."

Understanding the other woman completely, Myka didn't bother continuing that particular conversation, she didn't want to have to admit that she was just as cynical as her foreign friend.

Upon their return to their apartment that evening, Myka had suggested that Helena go to bed, but the older girl had other ideas, "It's probably best that I wait a few more hours and go to bed at a more normal time, I don't want to be stuck sleeping on British time for the rest of my time here." Taking a seat on the couch, the Brit gestured for the others to join her, "how about a game?" she asked, resting her head back against a pillow.

Claudia's eyes almost lit up when she heard the word 'game', "truth or dare" she demanded, flopping on the floor opposite Helena.

Settling down on a sofa diagonal to both girls, Myka crossed her legs and began to fiddle with her fingers, "I don't know, aren't we a bit old for that?"

"You're never too old for truth of dare" Pete interjected, taking a seat next to his less than enthusiastic friend, "come on Mykes, you have to play!"

Sighing loudly, the young woman agreed, chuckling lightly as a loud 'yay' escaped Claudia's lips.

"Brilliant," Helena beamed, her eyes focusing in on the least willing of the group, "this should be fun."


End file.
